


JohnDave Week 2016

by TheAlternativeRuler



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, johndaveweek, johndaveweek 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-20 02:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7387201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAlternativeRuler/pseuds/TheAlternativeRuler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My collection of fics for this year's JohnDave week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1—Favorite Canon Interaction

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this isn't exactly my favorite canon interaction (that would probably have to be John's bear hug or when he caught Dave crying from laughter at his own selfies), but I got an idea for these two panels so I went with it. Happy JohnDave Week, everyone! I can't wait to see all the fanfics and fanarts and cosplays and everything that'll come of it!
> 
> Warning: This drabble touches on Dave's abuse (which was very real, I don't care what you say to try and deny it) and what I think may have happened after Bro kicked his ass and left him with his copy of Sburb.

Your name is Dave Strider and you just had your ass whooped into next week. Seriously, who needs time shenanigans in Sburb when you have Bro?

You cough weakly, gasping for breath as you watch Bro flying away from the roof on his hover board, going who the fuck knows where. You kinda wish he hadn't fucked off so soon, you could use some help getting back on your feet again after that beatdown. Not that he's ever stayed and helped you before, he doesn't seem to really give a shit when it comes to the aftermath of your strifes.

Your entire body shakes like you're a nervous chihuahua on steroids as you try to sit up. You're barely halfway to a sitting position when you flop onto the ground again, hissing as the concrete smacks your head. You sigh and turn your head to take in the scene around you. The two halves of your piece-of-shit blade are on either side of you, both bent and chipped in places, the metal dull and scratched up. You won't be using that ever again. Crows are still perched on the edge of the roof, seemingly unruffled by the strifing that just took place before them. They stare at you and fluff their feathers, some screeching caws in your direction. Cal is in tattered shreds all around you, his head just past your feet, still grinning and staring off into the distance as creepily as ever. You feel a twinge of sadness at his death, but you're mostly filled with relief. Lately, he's been flipping your shit and you aren't exactly mourning his loss. 

Your eyes drift down to your own body and you can't help your whispered exclamation of, "Holy shit."

The two disc packets with Bro's name on them are resting gently on your stomach, but that's not what's making your normally laid-back demeanor flail its limbs around like a deranged lunatic. When you say Bro wrecked your shit, you mean he wrecked that shit so completely that it'll have to call in sick for the next month or so. 

Your arms are covered with scratches, some of them deep enough that blood is steadily trickling from them. And if the stinging on your face is anything to go by, you have similar marks there too. Your clothes have small tears and are scuffed up and worn thin from falling and skidding along the concrete. Fuck, he even split the record on your shirt in half! 

You feel your chest heaving as you start hyperventilating, your vision going dark around the edges. You're shaking even harder now, like one of those mini table speakers when you turn the volume up too loud. You're quickly losing your cool and you're shaking your head because you can't, no wait please. You have to help your friends, you have to start the game, you can't just sit here and wallow in your own panic and fear when they need you. 

In that moment, John comes to mind. Your best bro, always there with some dumb joke or shitty movie reference to throw at you. He's like the literal fucking sunshine sometimes. You don't know how, but he always manages to make you feel better when you're hanging on to sanity by a thread. John needs you in the game, he wants you to be there to help him and Rose and Jade win, but before you can help them, he sure as hell needs to help you.

With a quivering arm, you bring your phone up to eye level with your beaten-down form and log onto Pesterchum. It takes you several minutes to type and send him the message, your arm keeps shaking and your eyes are watering and your hand is twitching uncontrollably. But eventually, you get it, and it feels like a goddamn victory.

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] --

TG: bro just kicked my ass  
TG: thats really all there is to say on the matter

You let your arm fall, phone bouncing onto your chest, fingers still locked tightly around it. You close your eyes and pray to whatever fucking higher power exists that he'll respond soon. 

God, John, please please answer me.


	2. Day 2—Your AU or Favorite AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't pick a favorite AU, so I decided to make one of my own! Well, this isn't so much of an AU as it is a doomed timeline? *shrugs* Hope you like it anyways!

Your name is John Egbert, and you are dead.

No seriously, your life is over. You're finished, expired, dead as a doorknob, never to rise again.

Being dead isn't as bad as you thought it would be. Sure, you're stuck in the dream bubbles, complete with milky white eyes and strange memory-realms to boot, but it could be a lot worse. Dave assured you that this isn't the alpha timeline, so you guys still have a shot at beating this stupid game. It may not be _you_ you guys, but if your alpha timeline selves win, the rest of you will be free from the bubbles and cease to exist. You're pretty okay with that? Maybe it's just a part of being dead, you become okay with a lot of things. Like not getting to see Rose and Jade. They didn't kick the metaphorical bucket as you and Dave did, and they don't seem to have made their way to any dream bubbles in their sleep yet.

Oh well, you'll see them at some point.

For now, you have enough ghost-buddies to keep you company. Most of the trolls are here, including Karkat and Vriska, which is great! Your Dad is here too, it's nice getting to see and talk to him after the catastrophe of the game. And of course, you have the best bro in the history of bros by your side, Dave Strider himself. Sure, he's a self-righteous dork playing coolkid, but he's your best friend in all of paradox space and you couldn't ask for a better person to be stuck in a dream bubble with.

"Yo, Egbert."

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Dave! What's up?" you answer, waving in his direction.

He shrugs and says with a smirk, "I pissed off Karkles again, so he screeched until I left."

You laugh and make a mental note to visit your favorite troll later to hear his recap of the tale. "So, any sign of Jade or Rose yet?"

"Nah, but we'll see 'em soon enough. Preferably not as ghosts, though."

"Yeah, that would suck. Although, we're all gonna die in the end anyways, if our alpha timeline selves win," you say.

"Touché," he replies.

You flop down on your lawn, moving your arms through the soft grass. It's nice that there's a dream bubble of your house, you really love it here.

Dave lays down beside you, folding his arms under his head and sighing contentedly. You turn your head to look at him, catching a glimpse of his pale eyes from under his shades. It's a shame that all ghosts have white-washed irises. You know Dave hated his eyes, but you always thought they were really cool and unique, even kinda pretty. At least he's still wearing the shades you gave him. They were originally an attempt at irony, but they've become a symbol of your friendship with Dave and how strong it still is, after all this time.

Dave notices you looking at him and turns his head as well, flashing you a smile. You grin back, then shift until your head is rested on his stomach, wiggling your eyebrows goofily at him. He snickers, then pulls out tufts of grass and sprinkles them into your hair. You let him, closing your eyes and relaxing against your friend's warm and familiar form. 

You're about as close to sleep as a ghost can get when Dave breaks the silence, "Hey, John?"

You feel him shift and open one eye to see him leaning on his elbows so he can see you more clearly. He runs a hand through his hair and bites his lip. Jesus, he looks nervous. You hardly ever see him without at least _some_ semblance of his coolkid façade. 

You open your eyes fully and gaze at him worriedly. "Dave? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's chill as the goddamn polar ice caps up in here," he says, but you don't believe a word of it.

"Okay. If nothing's wrong, then what's up?" you ask gently. You know he'll tell you whatever it is when he's ready.

"I just..." he trails off, seemingly at a loss for words (you need a calendar to mark this day down, Dave Strider speechless?).

You feel fingers interlock with yours and look down in surprise at your hand in Dave's own. You don't pull away, never one to shy away from friendly affection, especially when it concerns Dave. He rarely hugs you or does any kind of touchy-feely stuff, at least, not when you're in public or around other people. You're gonna savor this shit for as long as possible.

"Dave?" you prompt, squeezing his hand lightly.

He opens his mouth to speak, but before he gets the chance, he's bathed in a white light.

"Dave!?" you shout frantically, sitting up. You hold onto him tightly, knowing what bright lights normally mean for you guys.

He looks back at you, seemingly just as confused as you are. He tries to say something else, but he's gone in a flash, faster than you could blink.

Your now-empty hand flops to the ground and you're all alone, trying not to panic. You shakily stand and try to run and look for help. Within seconds, you yourself are consumed with the same bright light as Dave was moments ago. You yelp in surprise as you too are teleported away.

~*~*~*~*

Your name is _JohnDave_ and you...aren't dead anymore?

This is so fucking weird, you don't feel like a ghost, but you're definitely not a living human either. 

"What the—" You slap a hand over your mouth to cut yourself off, hearing a very familiar voice intwined with yours, though it most certainly is _not_ yours....Or is it? 

What the fuck happened to you?

"Oh my, Jade, look! It actually worked!" a girl says excitedly, which you somehow know is uncharacteristic for her.

Wait, is that...?

"Really? We actually brought them back?" another girl says, presumably Jade.

Whoa. Jade? Jade as in...?

Waitwaitwait. _Them?_

Where's _DaveJohn?_

"John? Dave? Are you...okay? Can you hear me?" the first girl asks cautiously, placing a hand on your shoulder.

" _IWe_ can hear you, Rose." What?

"Oh, good. I was worried for a second there," she replies.

You blink your eyes open slowly, seeing Rose's and Jade's smiling faces above you. You sit up, blinking hard again. They're dark and weirdly wavy at the same time. What is going _on?_

"Rose? Jade? What _happened_ to _meus?_ "

"Well..." Rose starts, clenching her hands together in her lap. "You both have been dead for quite a while now, Jade and I have been left practically on our own for...god, I don't want to think about how long. Though I don't want to admit this so willingly to you, Strider, we missed you dearly. No dream bubbles seemed to be near us as we slept, so we had no way of seeing you or any of the others. We became desperate and..." she trails off.

"We went looking for an empty kernelsprite, found one, and threw you two in it," Jade finishes matter-of-factly.

" _What!?_ "

You raise your hands to find that both are snow-white and shedding a strange, burgundy-like colored light at the edges. It's like red did its best to be purple, but it couldn't get past looking like 50 Shades of Wine.

Looking down, you find a twisting sprite tail, vaguely reminiscent of _yourJohn's_ windsock. Speaking of that particularly hilarious pajama article...yeah, it's there, curled against your tail. You reach up to feel the fabric laid across your neck and shoulders. It looks like _yourJohn's_ ridiculously long hood is attached to the patterned draping fabric where _Dave'syour_ cape normally is.

Carefully, you take off your _shadesglasses_ and turn them around to get a good look at them. They're shaped like _Dave'syour_ shades, but only slightly tinted, with the thick, wavy lens quality of _yourJohn's_ glasses.

You look down at your shirt, seeing _yourJohn's_ Heir of Breath symbol surrounded by _Dave'syour_ Knight of Time gear. A strange thrill runs through you at that, ending with a fluttering in your heart.

Neither of you want to know what crazy mess your hair is, so you don't even attempt to imagine it. It's probably godawful, no matter who's it resembles more.

"This is so fucking weird, _Iwe_ don't even know how to feel about this? Jesus, _JohnDave_ is my best bro and everything, but this is a little too close for comfort," you say, shaking your head wildly. God, it sounds like two people are talking through you, which is a stupid observation, because two people _are_ talking through you.

"We just really needed to talk to you two again, it's been incredibly lonely out here," Rose says.

"It wasn't exactly the best plan, but we didn't have anything else. Like Rose said, we were desperate," Jade adds.

"Well, it's great getting to see you guys again, but _Iwe_ think _Iwe_ need a minute to work this shit out. It's...holy motherfucking Christ, it's a lot to process. _I'mwe're_ trying to see through each other's memories and thoughts and shit from the game and it's a goddamn crazy circus freakshow in _myour_ head," you say, grabbing both sides of your head and staring off into space.

"B-but you just got here! You can't _leave!_ " Rose stammers, standing as you float up to an upright position.

"You guys can't just fuck off after we saved you! What kind of friends are you?" Jade snarls.

You flinch in shock, staring with wide eyes at the two girls who you've known for practically your whole life. They're acting so different now, it's insane. Rose is twitchy and hesitant, way too happy one minute and freaking out the next. Jade's extremely blunt and flat-toned, but her anger flares up with a fucking vengeance. They're acting really crazy, and you're starting to get worried about what exactly all that alone time did to their minds.

"Y-you're acting really weird...what's with you two?" you say warily, floating up higher and higher.

" _You're_ the one that's acting weird. Since when do you ditch your best friends right after they saved your asses?" Jade accuses, glaring at your height from the ground.

"D-don't you guys c-care about us anymore? W-we've been here for _ages_ a-and it's so, so lonely, you can't l-leave us again, you just _can't_ ," Rose pleads, looking close to tears as she hugs herself tightly.

You're about to lower yourself and just stay to try and help _them_ when you hear the click of a gun's safety going off. You fearfully look down the back of Jade's rifle to see her stone-cold eyes glowering at you. "Maybe you aren't John and Dave. Maybe this was just some shitty trick and we wasted a kernelsprite."

Her finger tightens on the trigger and you get the fuck out of dodge, flying away to the sound of a gunshot and Rose screaming.

_FuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!_

You find a small cave nestled in the rock that Jade's house is balanced on. It's cold as fuck because of LOFAF, but at least the snow can't get in and you have a place to hide and calm your shit.

You're hyperventilating and tangling your fingers in your hair. Rose and Jade went batshit insane and now you're stuck here with them, but more importantly you're stuck _together_. Two brains' worth of information is battling for attention along with all the data the game is shoving into your skull because you're a sprite now. You sort of wish you let Jade shoot you, this is _agony_ and you're trying to calm down, but it's impossible with everything screaming at you from inside your head.

You can see all the planets, all the rules and cheat codes and ways to win the game as they fight for room. _You'reJohn's_ freaking out over all of _Dave'syour_ memories of Bro and everything that he did to _Daveyou_ for all those years, _Dave'syou're_ cringing as all of _yourJohn's_ insecurities and doubts and self-hate wash over _Daveyou_. 

You scream and start crying, feeling helpless and frail under the weight of it all. The instability of your fusion is starting to show physically, a light forming at your center, a feeling as if you're going to combust. You know if you don't calm down right the fuck now, you're going to spritesplode.

Carefully, you gulp down deep breaths of air and wipe your eyes beneath your _shadesglasses_. "C-calm down, calm down, calm down, it's okay, we're gonna be okay, _we_ can do this, calm down," you mumble to yourself.

The cacophony in your head dies down and you sigh in relief. It still feels like your brain is about to ooze out your several facial orifices, but at least it's not as loud and painful. 

"We're okay, we're okay, we're okay," you say to reassure yourself, breathing evenly to the ticking of the ever-present clocks that _Daveyou_ can hear.

"Alright, if we're going to do this, we need to settle on personal pronouns. This doubling-up shit is only making things worse," you say, nodding to yourself.

You sit there in silence, steadily helping your brain sift through all the information it's been given all of the sudden. You come across the shared memory of the last time you were separate and have to ask, "What was I going to say to me?"

No need to respond to yourself, the answer is a blazing neon sign at the forefront of your thoughts.

"R-really? Y—I mean, I...love...me?" It sounds awkward as hell and hopeful and afraid all at once. You're hugging your arms close to your torso and that's about as good as it's gonna get.

"Yeah," you whisper quietly.

"Me too! I-I mean, fuck, well, I know what I mean!" you exclaim, blushing and smiling all the while. "Being like this, it made me realize how I feel about myself, something that might not have happened if I didn't become this massive fuckup."

"Does that mean I have to actually _thank_ Rose and Jade for this?" You laugh and hug yourself even tighter, sinking into a comfortable position against the cold stone of the cave.

"God this is so fucked up," you point out with a smirk, "Narcissus ain't got nothin' on me."

"Let's just hope my alpha timeline selves can pull their own shit together. Maybe their happy ending can be a bit less broken."


	3. Day 3—Confession or First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't possibly choose just one way to write their confession, so first date it is! I debated between this and a movie date for a long time, but a nudge from a friend led me to writing this. Happy shipping!

Your name is Dave Strider and you _hate_ the beach. 

So naturally, that's where you'd end up on your first date with the infamous John Egbert.

Yes, you finally caught the nerd, your best bro, your friendleader, the Bromeo to your Dudeliet, your Heir, your heart, your soul.

Honestly, you were colored pretty fucking surprised when he agreed to go out with you. What with his whole "lol no homo" attitude, you figured he was so deep in the closet that he'd made it all the way to Narnia. Turns out, meeting the trolls and creating a new universe and having several lengthy conversations on the subject with certain persons (probably Rose and Karkat) made him rethink his previous decision regarding his own sexuality.

Anyways, he's your little homo now and you're going to savor this shit like a tall glass of the freshest aj. You just wish that savoring didn't have to happen with sand in places you didn't even know you had. What can you say, John's begging face is adorable as fuck, not even ironically.

"C'mon, Dave, we have to grab a good spot!" John shouts, waving an arm wildly in the air. You sigh heavily and give the car one last pat before locking it up and stowing the key in your beach bag.

John grins at you when you reach him, shyly sticking out his hand for you to grab. You blush ever-so-slightly beneath your shades and weave your sickly pale fingers through his beautifully dark ones. Every touchy-feely instance is suddenly 110% more awkward and yet thrilling than it was when there was no chance at more than a bromance.

"Let's go, Egbert. I'm absolutely dying to get sand in these trunks," you say, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Hehe, okay," he answers, squeezing back.

Together, you walk down the old wooden dock until you hit the sand. You can feel it, hot and grainy and shifting beneath your flip flops as you make your way to the water. John finds a spot with relatively few people around that's close to the ocean, which is pretty lucky for this beach. He pulls the giant beach mat out of his bag and lays it out with a goofy flourish. You roll your eyes and snicker as you get the towels and lay them out on top, setting your beach bag near the head of your towel. 

The most important step is of course the umbrella. It's massive and sturdy and it'll keep you hidden from the evil rays of the bastard sun. You take it out piece by piece and assemble it, meanwhile hearing John drop his bag by his towel. The next thing you know, you've got a giant glop of sticky, white, disgusting cream sliding down the back of your neck.

"John, you ass!" you cry out, slapping your hand on the back of your neck and furiously trying to rub in the ridiculous amount of sunscreen.

He laughs in response, ripping off his shirt and kicking his shoes off so he can put sunscreen on his own body. You finish setting up the umbrella and John congratulates you on a job well done, just before he boops your nose with a dollop of white goop. You glare at him and rub that in too, using it to protect the areas of your face that your shades can't cover.

"You gotta do more than that! Shirt off, Dave!" he giggles, tugging at the bottom of your t-shirt. You slap his hands away and pull the shirt up and over your head, then throw it over your beach bag. John hands you the tube of sunscreen and you cover the areas that he didn't splatter with copious amounts of the stuff.

When you're both thoroughly covered, John whoops and runs into the waves, splashing around before bellyflopping into the water. You sit down in your nice pocket of shade, away from the sand and any nasty salt water the beach might throw at you. Bring it on, nature.

A few minutes later, John comes back to your spot. He's dripping water everywhere, messy hair blowing around in the ocean breeze, glasses adorably spotted with droplets, smile dazzling in contrast to his dark tanned skin. He may be short and a little soft around the edges, but he's fucking gorgeous to you and you maybe don't hate the beach as much as you thought you did if you get to see him like this.

"Dave, come swimming with me! The water feels great!" he begs, grabbing your arm and attempting to drag you across the sand.

"Okay, okay, Jesus, just stop scraping off bits of me with this damn sand," you say, standing up on your own.

John laughs and keeps his hold on your arm, running (and therefore forcing you to join him) back into the sea. He was right, the water _does_ feel good, and you actually like the feeling of the waves lapping at your skin.

The peacefulness is short-lived. A wave the size of planet fucking Jupiter washes in, easily knocking you down spluttering into the water. When you manage to right yourself above the surface, you can see John laughing his ass off just beside you. You shove him so he falls too, but it doesn't stop his glee for a second, and you're secretly happy that it doesn't.

~*~*~*~*

Your name is Dave Strider, and you have to admit, the beach is kinda nice.

You're laid out on your towel, watching the sun set over the ocean with John's head pillowed on your stomach. Your hand is in his hair, messing with the salt-ridden locks as he sighs contentedly. You're both exhausted from the extremely long and eventful day, but it was actually fun, so you're pretty damn chill about it.

After swimming for an hour or so, you insisted that the two of you take the classic walk along the beach, for irony's sake of course. John readily agreed, and he didn't even complain about all the shells you made him hold while you walked up and down the shore. 

When you got back to your stuff, you both laid under the shade for awhile, listening to music and just relaxing. You snuck off to buy ice cream and surprised John with it. He lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree and teased you about being "such a sweet and considerate boyfriend!" He even got a prank in, dripping freezing cold ice cream onto your chest and then smearing it across your cheek, a smug smirk adorning his lips as he licked it off. You "accidentally" dropped a glop of yours onto John's thigh and his indignant yelp was all the revenge you needed. 

You chased him back into the water to clean yourselves up after you finished, staying there to swim for a couple more hours. On your trek back to your spot in the sand, John tripped over a group of little kids' sandcastle. You caught him before he could smack into the sand, but nothing could stop the destruction of the fragile granulated structure. He spent the next two hours helping them rebuild it, bigger and better than before. Shit had a moat and everything, the kids were ecstatic. You spent the time walking around taking pictures, even snapping a few of their sandcastle when it was done.

And now you're here, sprawled out under John, satisfied in feeling that all is right with the world. Pretty awesome first date, if you do say so yourself. Not that there was any doubt, you're a fucking Strider after all.

"Hey, Dave?" John says, looking up at you from his chosen resting spot.

"Yeah, John?" you question, eyes still fixated on the horizon.

"Thank you for...well, everything, I guess. You've always been there for me, in ways I didn't even really realize or know that I needed. I'm insanely happy that I figured everything out and stopped being such a dickweed. And...I'm sorry that I made you wait all that time," he finishes timidly, looking away now.

Your eyes are blown wide in shock, now fully trained on John, his bottom lip bitten by those incredibly familiar buck teeth, his cheeks flushed a bright red, his eyes downcast and gorgeous in the dying sunlight. Of all the things you imagined him saying, this was sure as hell not one of them.

"John." You sit up enough that he's forced to move into an upright position as well. He's watching your face now, looking for...you're not sure what exactly. You lift up your shades to help him find whatever it is he's searching for, tucking them into your wind-blown hair. You cup his cheeks gently on both sides, drawing him closer to you. 

"Dave, what...?" he starts, but doesn't finish as he realizes what you're doing. You see him close his eyes and you do the same before leaning in and pressing your lips to his. 

It's a soft, slow, chaste kiss, flavored with the salty sea and flooded with feelings suppressed for years. When you pull away and your eyes slide open, you catch John's eyelids fluttering as he opens his. 

You can't help it, your face breaks into a grin as you say, " _That_ was worth the wait."

He blinks owlishly and then returns your smile, giggling all the while. Your grin never wavers when you ask him, "What?"

Between laughs he manages to get out, "You have the most _hilarious_ tan from your shades, oh my god!"

You roll your eyes and playfully punch him on the shoulder, chuckling as you say, "Shut it, Egbert."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fluffiest thing I've ever written, dear lord. Good thing tomorrow is hurt/comfort and I can get back to our regularly scheduled sads!


	4. Day 4—Hurt/Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hell yes, it’s time for my _favorite_ thing! Get ready for sadstuck!
> 
> This is based on a comic by princebunbuns on tumblr.
> 
> http://princebunbuns.tumblr.com/post/121287616774/that-awkward-moment-when-you-forget-your-dad-is

Your name is John Egbert, and you’re about to save _everything._

It’s endgame time. You and all your friends have finally gathered in one place. A plan has been made, strategies thought out, potential mistakes accounted for. You’ve all caught up on absolutely everything that’s happened over the past few years, you’ve talked and trained and prepared for all that is to come. You’re almost ready to beat this stupid game and go _home._

Now, all that’s left to do is wait.

The Batter-Bitch is readying herself for battle halfway across Paradox Space, Lord English is still breaking spacetime in the search for his sister, and all the Jacks are slowly making their way here from their various locales. You’re all revved up and ready to go, but clearly your adversaries can’t get their shit together like you guys. Pfft, _so_ unprofessional.

Anyways, in your spare time, you’ve decided to pay a visit to your house. It feels like it’s been ages since you’ve stepped foot on your driveway, but it honestly wasn’t that long ago. The copious amount of levels that Rose added tower above you, but it’s all still your house. You’ll have a completely new one once you rebuild the universe, so you wanna make sure you remember every last detail about this place.

You walk up along the cracked cement until you reach your front door, opening it with a fond smile.

“Wow! Nanna sure cleaned this place up!” you exclaim as you step inside. The house is as immaculate as your Dad always kept it when it was smaller and actually on a whole planet. No imps slinking around, no broken furniture lying in shambles, no oil splatters or hateful graffiti. It’s nice.

Brightly colored blobs sitting on the fireplace mantle catch your eye. “Oh, are those Jade’s squiddle things?” you wonder aloud as you cross the room. You grab the edge of the mantle and look at the happy squidlings with a grin. “Hehehe, hey little guys!”

You wave goodbye and head towards the steps, wanting to take a look at your room before you leave. You pass a small side table at the bottom of the stairs. There’s a pot filled with beautiful flowers sitting on it (definitely Nanna) as well as a long black pipe.

“Oh, dad left his pipe here.” You grab it and take it with you upstairs, intending to give it to him. “Wonder if he’s in his room…”

You stop at the dark hallway where your dad’s room is, calling out, “Dad, you left your pipe!”

When he doesn’t answer, you frown in confusion. You would’ve heard him if he was in the kitchen, right? He must be in his room. 

“…Dad?” you say, a bit warily, though you’re not sure exactly why. Sure, it’s weird that he’s not responding, but he could just be taking a nap or something.

You decide to check because you know how much he loves this pipe. For whatever reason, he always keeps it with him. If he’s asleep, you can just leave it on his nightstand.

“…” You pause in front of the door, listening for any sign of movement inside. Hearing nothing, you assume your dad is asleep and go to open the door so you can quietly leave the pipe for him.

The moment your hand closes around the doorknob, the scene around you disappears in a flash of red. You’re left out in the open on a castle tower soaked with blood, hand empty and outstretched towards…

_…Oh_ _god,_ _is_ _that_ _…dad?_

You scream in horror and flinch back as the image fades away. Terrified, you stumble until you fall to the ground, backed up against the wall and hyperventilating. You’re trembling uncontrollably, fear causing you to break out in a cold sweat. Tears gather in your wide eyes that are still fixated on the door, not trusting that it won’t flash back to the terrible scene of death you’d just witnessed.

You let out a single broken sob before clapping a hand to your mouth to stop yourself from retching. The tears are falling freely now, racing down your cheeks and clouding your vision as you shake and dissolve into a sniveling mess. The hand around your dad’s pipe is tighter than an iron shackle as you clutch the object close to your chest.

In all the memories and nostalgia of the moment, you forgot your dad is dead. A wave of sickness washes over you and you sob into your hand once again, curling further in on yourself in despair.

You don’t know how long you sit there falling apart until a soft voice cuts through your cries.

“John?”

You turn to face the end of the hall, seeing an all-too-familiar figure standing there. It’s Dave, with his worried eyebrows and his caring eyes and his strong arms that hold you so tightly and his _safety_ because he’s your Knight and he just means protection and comfort to you.

Seeing him like that causes you to sob again, which sends him flashstepping into a crouch by your side. He gently removes both of your glasses and cups your face, using his thumbs to wipe away your endless tears.

“Shh, shh, hey, it’s okay, I’m here, I’ve got you,” he soothes, leaning in to kiss your forehead. “John? Can you tell me what’s wrong? You don’t have to if you don’t wanna talk about it, I just want to help you.”

You shake your head and shudder as you lean into him. He sits down fully and pulls you into his arms, hugging you firmly, making you feel warm and safe and loved. He continues to try and calm you down for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, your sobs die down to whimpers, the crying slows to occasional tears, and you stop shaking so hard.

Dave is rubbing his hands up and down your back, letting you pillow your face on his chest, whispering sweet nothings to you that you don’t even process. It’s okay, it’s his _voice_ that really matters, the ever-present, soft, melodic tone that gives you the strength to speak yourself.

“I-I was trying to give my d-dad his pipe back…b-but as soon as I tried to open the d-door, I saw his…his d-dead b-b-body. I just…I had completely f-forgotten that h-he was d-dead,” you stutter between deep breaths and full body shudders. Your free hand holds a fistful of Dave’s shirt, the other still clutching your dad’s pipe close to you.

Dave stiffens and tightens his hold on you, pulling you impossibly further into his embrace. “I’m so sorry, John. I wish you hadn’t ever seen that in the first place.”

“I m-miss him so m-much. E-everyday on that ship with Jade, getting o-older a-and older, I just w-wanted him to _be_ there, t-to see _me._ I n-never found him in the dr-dream bubbles and I…I wanna know if he’s still p-proud of me,” you trail off in a whisper, trying to hold back the fresh wave of tears.

Dave shifts and lets go of you, momentarily scaring you, only to move so that he can cup your face again. His intense red eyes meet your watery blue ones and he says, “John, he’d be crazy _not_ to be proud of you. All this time you’ve been working to save the world and protect all your friends. You’ve been our friendleader and our rock through all the bullshit this game has put us through, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. And hell, look at you. You’re about to go and rebuild an entire fucking universe after fighting some of the most evil and crazy people any of us have ever met. You’re a hero, John. What’s not to be proud of?”

You smile through happier tears in response, launching yourself at him for a full-on hug. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, burying your face in his neck as his arms tighten around your back and he rests his head against yours.

“Thanks, Dave. I love you,” you say, tightening your hold on him.

“Anytime. I love you too,” he responds, squeezing you gently before pulling back slightly. He tilts your chin up and kisses you sweetly. It’s a little wet and salty from your tears, but you feel loved and protected and ready to face the challenges left to come afterwards. 

Dave’s right. Knowing your dad, he’s probably out in those bubbles baking the biggest congratulatory cake he’s ever made, and yeah, he’s immensely proud of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m taking requests for tomorrow’s free space day! If you have an idea you want me to consider, lemme know!


	5. Day 5—FREE SPACE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Borrowed a prompt from otpprompts on tumblr for this!
> 
> Imagine Person A of your OTP is a single parent with an adopted child. One day they go shopping and Person A spots Person B from the other side of the store, and Person A is not able to look away. Then, Person A’s child asks why they’re staring at Person B, then without an answer, goes up to them and smiles innocently, “Hi there Mr/Miss! My mommy/daddy thinks you’re really pretty/handsome!” Making Person B smile and look up to see a very flustered and embarrassed Person A.
> 
> A’s child and friends are my friend Atte's OCs!

Your name is John Egbert, and you are the _best_ dad in the whole entire universe.

Hey, Sean’s words, not yours.

While eating breakfast together that morning (pancakes that you formed into cool shapes like flames and ghosts), he mentioned a movie that his friends had told him about. It just came out on DVD the day before, and Sean was very excited about getting it from the library the next time you went. Instead, you proposed that the two of you go and buy the movie together after you get back from work. You’d also buy movie snacks and drinks to make it a fun, relaxing evening for the two of you.

Before you could even ask for Sean’s thoughts on your idea, he gasped potentially the loudest gasp you’ve ever heard and practically leapt across the table to hug you in thanks. You laughed and held him tightly, promising that you two would go straight from Sean’s after school camp to the store to get it all.

Now it’s just past 5 o'clock and you’re hanging up your apron for the day, trying to dust as much excess flour off of yourself as possible. You wave goodbye to your coworkers and hop into your car to go pick up Sean. It’s a ten minute drive to his after school camp, but clearly you still took _much_ too long because he’s bouncing up and down on his toes in anticipation when you get there.

“So, how was your day?” you ask, opening his door for him and making sure he buckles his seat belt properly.

“Good,” he pauses until you make your way to your own seat and restart the car, “I told Maxx, Val, and Ella that I was getting the movie and they all got really excited! I had to remind them not to give me spoilers though!”

You laugh and begin driving to the nearest Walmart, saying, “Well, you’ll get to talk to them about it tomorrow. Did you finish all your homework?”

“Yup! I even studied for the spelling test on Friday with Maxx because he was at the after school place too,” Sean replies, bouncing his legs. 

“Really? I thought Mrs. Rose picked him up from school?” you ask in surprise.

“Yeah she does, but she had to go help Mrs. Kanaya at work for some reason, Maxx wasn’t really sure what it was about.”

“Huh.” You make a mental note to call Rose later and ask her if everything’s alright. “We’re here!” you announce, hearing Sean squeal and unbuckle his seatbelt before you could even finish.

You rush to his side of the car and open the door for him so he doesn’t try to run out into the parking lot. He obediently holds your hand as you walk, though he looks like all he wants to do is run ahead.

You grab a basket and head for the electronics section, letting Sean pull you along through the rows of DVDs until he finds the movie. He won’t even put it in the basket, clutching it close to his chest with his free hand. You chuckle and move to the food section, making your rounds through the aisle. You get ice cream, chips, and soda, playfully arguing with Sean about what kinds of each to get.

Before heading to checkout, you make a stop in the baking aisle, wanting to grab extra ingredients to make cookies later. You’re examining the different brands of flour they carry when the most gorgeous guy you’ve ever seen walks by. He’s tall and fairly thin, but not lanky like he probably was as a teenager. He’s got blond hair that’s styled to perfection and it looks so soft, you’re itching to run your hands through it. His skin is pale and freckled lightly, the spots looking golden against his skin tone. He’s dressed simply (as are you), but he makes it look like something out of a magazine with an intentionally worn-looking letterman jacket, t-shirt, Converses, and skinny jeans that cause his legs to go for miles and miles. You look for his eyes, but he’s wearing sunglasses, much to your disappointment and confusion. Though you have to admit, they suit him. 

You sigh a little, kind of blatantly staring as he stops in your aisle a few feet from you and looks for something. Normally, you’d never act like some kind of creepy stalker, especially when you’re with your son in public. But then again, normally, you don’t see extremely attractive individuals in Walmart.

Sean looks at you in confusion when you still haven’t grabbed a sack of flour yet, tracking your gaze to the guy that you can’t take your eyes off of.

“Why are you staring at that guy, dad?” Sean asks curiously. He seems to put two and two together fairly quickly and doesn’t wait for any kind of response before letting go of your hand and walking over to the man.

Sean tugs on his jacket and smiles up at him innocently when he has his attention. “Hi there, Mister! My dad thinks you’re really handsome!” 

You stare positively mortified as your child betrays you and points directly at you. The guy looks up at you and smiles blindingly, causing you to blush even more intensely than before.

Flustered and utterly embarrassed, you speed over to them and grab Sean’s hand again, attempting to pull him away. “I am _so_ sorry, sir, I’ve told him that he shouldn’t talk to or bother strangers.”

“Even handsome ones?” the guy says, smirking a bit.

You flush again, feeling the heat rolling off in waves from your cheeks and wanting to die right then and there.

He laughs (god, even his _laugh_ his gorgeous) and sticks out his hand, saying, “I’m Dave Strider.”

“John Egbert,” you respond, letting go of Sean’s hand to shake Dave’s.

“And what’s your name, kiddo?” Dave asks, crouching down to Sean’s level.

“I’m Sean!” he says, waving happily.

“Nice to meet you, Sean. Thank you for telling me what your dad thinks about me.” He looks up at you and winks, rising back up to your level. Well, _above_ your level.

“So what’re you two up to?” he asks, apparently wanting this to be a full-on conversation. Now you _really_ want to die, sure to embarrass yourself even more if this goes on.

“We’re getting a movie that my friends said was good!” Sean replies for you, positively beaming. 

“Really? That sounds fun,” he says, smiling down at Sean. You smile a bit too, appreciating that he’s being nice to your son. “What movie is it?”

“It’s How to Train Your Dragon!” He holds out the case to show him.

“Huh, my daughter Val just saw that movie at a friend’s house and she loved it,” Dave comments.

“Wait wait whoa, did you say Val?” you ask, eyes wide.

“Yeah? Why?” He quirks an eyebrow at you.

“Val is one of my friends that told me to watch this!” Sean says, gasping in realization, “You’re her dad!?!”

Dave blinks in surprise. “Do you go to Amity Park Elementary School?”

“Yes!!” he answers, jumping up and down excitedly. “You _are_ her dad! Wow, I can’t wait to tell her all about this tomorrow!”

Dave shakes his head in amazement. “I knew she had a friend named Sean, but it’s a pretty common name so I wasn’t gonna jump to conclusions.”

“So you’re actually Val’s dad? I can’t believe I’ve never met you before,” you say, still shocked.

“Same to you, I would’ve liked to see that pretty face of yours more often,” he says, winking again and smirking as your blush rose anew.

“S-so what’re you doing here?” you ask, trying to change the subject before you burst into flames.

“I wanted to surprise Val with something sweet after I picked her up from after school camp, so I came to buy some kind of desert mix before grabbing her from there,” he says with a shrug.

You turn to look at what he was looking at before and gasp in horror. “Were you about to buy _Betty Crocker!?”_

“Uh…yeah? What’s wrong with Betty Crocker?” he asks warily.

“Only that they’re _the_ shittiest baking company on earth. Betty Crocker desserts are so tooth-rottingly sweet, I feel like I have to brush my teeth after just saying the _name_. I can’t believe you were about to feed your daughter that crap.” You shudder.

Dave blinks and looks at Sean for an explanation. He shrugs and says, “Dad just really really hates Betty Crocker. It’s a childhood trauma thing.”

“And I’m a working baker who believes that deserts shouldn’t come straight out of a box of powdered mix,” you say indignantly.

“You’re a baker? I thought the flour on your shirt was just from the stuff over there,” Dave says.

“Yes, I’m a baker. It was something my dad always did when I was growing up, but he used Betty Crocker and I always hated it, so I vowed to make my own fresh baked goods instead,” you explain.

“Okay then. What would you suggest instead?”

“Well…” you blush heavily and look away a bit. “I was going to make cookies for Sean at home while we watched the movie. You could…bring Val over maybe? If you want to!”

Dave grabs your chin and makes you look at him, stroking your cheek lightly with his thumb. “I’d love to.” He smiles and you’re pretty sure time stops moving.

That is, until Sean breaks the silence, “Are you guys gonna kiss ‘cause that’s gross.”

Dave laughs and pulls away with a wink. “Maybe later.”

You may want to die of embarrassment, but you’re pretty damn happy that you haven’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this one is my favorite so far. Oh, I won’t be doing tomorrow’s NSFW topic, but I’ll be back on Sunday for Davesprite!


	6. Day 7—Davesprite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not quite comfortable with writing NSFW yet so I skipped Saturday, but I absolutely LOVE Davesprite so I’ll happily write for Sunday. Thanks for an amazing JohnDave Week everyone, I couldn’t have asked for a better ship to do my first ever ship week!

Your name is John Egbert, and in just a few days, your entire universe is going to change (again).

Your three year journey with Jade and Davesprite is drawing to a close, you’ll be face to face with Dave, Rose, and the trolls before you know it. It’s funny, the trip as a whole felt excruciatingly long, but with only a few days left, the end is coming up faster than you’d like.

“Hey, John! Dude, where’d you fly off to this time you fickle fuck?” You hear echoing through the golden halls of the ship.

“I’m in here!” you yell, sighing and resting your head on your crossed arms, legs pulled close to your body, knees pressed against your chest.

Davesprite floats in, immediately going to your side and sitting on the couch with you. His tail reflexively curls around your ankle, which you smile at fondly. 

“Hi, Dave,” you say, moving to lean on his feathery shoulder.

“Hey. You okay, Egbert?” he asks, resting his head on yours, lacing your fingers together.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just worried I guess.” You bite your lip. “…What’s gonna happen when we meet up with everyone?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…well, you and I have been dating for over a year now, and I just…”

“You don’t seriously think any of them are gonna judge us, do you?” he says skeptically.

“No, obviously not. And even if they did I wouldn’t care, though I’d seriously question our friendship at that point.” You shake your head. “I’m just really worried about Dave…you know, alpha Dave?” This is so confusing, you normally call Davesprite Dave, but now that there’s actual Dave…ugh.

“Oh,” he mutters. “You think he’ll be weirded out? I’d like to think he’d be pretty chill about it.”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what he’ll think of this. His online childhood best bro dating a doomed timeline version of himself from the future crossed with a dead crow as a sprite? It’s kind of insane, don’t you think?” 

Davesprite shrugs. “Maybe.” He turns and falls back, using your linked hands to pull you along with him until you’re both laying down, you curled up on top of him. 

He smirks and wraps his arms around your waist. “But I like it.”

You grin in response, leaning down to kiss him. “So do I.”

Davesprite’s wings form a protective cocoon around you as you kiss, soft feathers tickling your exposed skin. You giggle against his mouth and he tries to salvage the sloppy makeouts to be, but you can’t stop laughing to the point that you duck your head down, forehead resting on his chest as you try to suck in breaths between your laughter.

Your boyfriend—who’s used to you being the biggest stupidfriend—chuckles and rests his chin on the top of your head. “You’re such a dork,” he snickers.

“Your dork,” you remind him, sighing and snuggling up to Davesprite. His wings cover you like a blanket and his arms tighten their hold.

“My dork,” he says softly, kissing your hair.

~*~*~*~*

Your name is John Egbert, and you’re standing at the rail of a giant golden ship, watching the details of the meteor below you become larger and more focused as Jade expertly lands the aircraft.

You think you see a spot of red in front of a building and gulp.

Suddenly, arms wrap around you from behind and bright orange wings close around your shoulders.

Davesprite kisses the nape of your neck gently. “You good?”

You sigh happily and lean back against him. “Yeah.”

You feel the ship hit the rock as a wave that rolls up your body. Jade laughs victoriously and runs over to you. Davesprite lets go so she can tackle-hug you, both of you grinning.

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” Jade says, bouncing on her feet.

“Yeah!” you say, her excitement infectious.

Davesprite laughs and agrees, “The friendship train has just completed its circle of stupidity and stopped at reunion station. Choo choo motherfuckers.”

Jade leads you through the innards of the ship to the loading dock, lowering the ramp so you can get out of the metal hull you’ve been stuck in for three years. You and Jade walk off the ship with Davesprite floating close behind. You can see the gathering of your friends outside a building just a block away from where Jade landed the ship.

As you move closer, now able to definitively tell who’s who, your heart starts thudding; from anticipation or nerves, you’re not sure.

Finally, you’re with them. Jade immediately runs up to hug Rose, who smiles and returns the embrace. They begin to babble about something, but your attention is pulled away when you see Dave with his arms outstretched.

He smirks at you. “Well, Egbert? You gonna give me that tender first meeting embrace or what?”

You can’t help but grin widely as you run to him too, hugging your best bro tightly because damn it’s been way too long since you’ve talked to him and even though you’ve had Davesprite all this time, he’s not this particular Dave. “I missed you guys so much!”

“We missed you too, John,” Dave responds, hugging you back just as tightly as you’re hugging him.

“Okay John, move it! My turn for Strider hugs!” Jade demands playfully. Dave let’s you go and moves to hug Jade, teasing her about being a little eager to get her hands on him.

You turn to Rose and smile at her. “Hi, Rose! It’s great to see you!”

“It’s wonderful to see you too, John. I have to admit I’ve missed your brand of personality on this desolate rock,” Rose replies, pulling you into a hug.

She lets you go, turning to gesture to the troll standing beside her. “John, I’d like to introduce you to Kanaya.”

“Oh, hi Kanaya! We’ve talked before, it’s nice to meet you!” you say, waving at her with a kind smile.

She nods her head in agreement, smiling as well. “It is very nice to meet you as well, John.”

“Hey, you nooksniffing asswipe! Are you ever going to feel so inclined as to acknowledge my presence in the near future? Or will I have to wait another sweep for you to grace me with your stupidity?”

You gasp excitedly. “Karkat! Oh man, I’ve missed your insults and rants these past three years!” You fly and tackle-hug him, causing him to splutter and yell obscenities at you as he almost falls to the ground after your assault.

You laugh as you let go of him, seeing a flash of orange and red out of the corner of your eye. You turn to see Dave and Davesprite fist bumping. You’re not sure what they’re talking about, but it looks like things are going pretty smoothly so far.

More introductions are made and you feel so happy you could explode by the end of it all. You’re heading inside a building on the meteor to sit and talk more comfortably as a group when you’re pulled at by a familiar orange tail wrapped around your god tier hood. Davesprite leads you towards the back of the group and you link hands as you walk/float along.

“So, did you tell Dave?” you ask,  probably sounding too hopeful.

“Nah, I think that’s your territory bro. It’s not really something you and your future-self sprite should talk about,” he answers.

You try not to pout, sighing heavily. “I guess I’ll tell him later when we’re alone. If this gets weird, I’d rather it not be in front of a bunch of our friends.”

“Cool,” Davesprite says. “Good luck, man.”

~*~*~*~*

Your name is John Egbert, and you’re a nervous wreck.

You’ve finished up your (hours long) “meeting” to catch up on what’s happened over the past three years as a whole. Separate parties are having their own conversations now and you see Dave sitting alone, snickering at Karkat and Jade who’re having a heated argument about something stupid.

Gathering your courage, you walk over to him.

“Oh, sup John,” Dave greets.

“Hi, Dave. Can we maybe…go talk?…In private?” you ask, trying not to bite your lip out of nervous habit.

“Sure,” he says, getting up. He leads you out of the main room. On your way to the transport pad, you pass Karkat. He quirks an unimpressed eyebrow at the two of you, growling, “Hey, Strider. No interspecies or inTRAspecies makeouts on the first gogdamn day.”

“Relax, kat, don’t be such a prick,” Dave says with a laugh.

Both of you step onto the grey piece of metal and wait. You look up at the last second to see Davesprite floating next to Rose. He’s looking right at you, giving you a thumbs up before you disappear in a bright white flash.

Rematerialized in a new area, you walk through some hallways until you reach a closed metal door with slight dents and scratches on it. You raise a questioning eyebrow, to which Dave replies with, “Oh yeah, I pissed Vantas off so bad this one time that he chased me all the way here and attacked my door for like an hour trying to get in so he could kill me haha. It’s so fun riling him up, it’s basically how I entertained myself for the past three years.”

You laugh a little in response, stepping into Dave’s room. He passes you while you’re examining it, flopping down on his bed with one leg propped up on the mattress.

“So, what’s eatin’ you, Egbert?” he asks.

Sitting next to him with a deep sigh, you pause and try to gather your thoughts so you don’t fuck this up. “Um, well, I just kinda wanted to talk about all the more personal stuff that’s happened, I guess.”

“Oh, well yeah, that’s cool. How was it on the ship?”

“Boring for the most part, but I’m still glad I didn’t leave Jade alone.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been quite the dick move.” He snickers, “The bucket you chucked at Karkles’s head was a nice touch though.”

“Haha yeah, I kinda didn’t realize that was bad until it was too late,” you admit. “How was being with the trolls?”

“Pretty cool, to be honest. They’re not so different from us, but at the same time they’re complete fucking aliens. They taught me and Rose about quadrants and shit too, we even started adapting to it a bit. I’d never admit it to Vantas, but it _is_ a pretty great romantic system.”

“Huh.” Here’s your chance. Ohhh boy. “So have you had any uh…quadrants…filled?”

“Tez and I were a thing for a while, but that passed and we’re cool now. Remember that clown guy you saw? We sorta had a kismesis thing going on too, but that’s over and he and Terezi actually started that, but I’m not gonna get into it because it was some brutal shit. Like, imagine a drunk great white shark and a high-as-fuck grizzly bear trying to have sex.” You cringe. “Yeah.”

He pauses briefly, then says, “I’m sure you didn’t have any romantic shenanigans going on on the S.S. Dumbass.” 

“Actually…”

His eyes widen beneath his shades and his eyebrows raise. “Whoa, really? Gimme the gossip, Egbert!”

“Well, Davesprite and Jade were a thing for the first year or so, but they split up after they both realized they weren’t really right for each other,” you say, bracing yourself for the question you know is coming.

“What about you, bro? Any flush crushes for the resident friendleader?” Dave asks and holy shit did he just inch closer to you or was that your imagination.

“Umm…” You’re blushing and you don’t know why, this is going downhill quickly, you’re such an idiot.

Dave dramatically gasps. “Mr. Egbert! What would your dear old dad say about this? You gotta tell me bro, who’s the lucky gal? Or guy, y'know, if you’ve somehow changed your mind about the whole no homo thing.”

“Uh, yeah, I have actually changed my mind about that,” you say quietly. Dave’s so close you can see him blinking in surprise under his shades.

“Wow. Didn’t know you had it in you, dude. Who’s your one and only bro-homie?”

You take a deep breath and close your eyes. “It's—”

Before you can finish your sentence, you’re interrupted by a pair of lips covering your own. Immediately, your eyes shoot open in shock and you freeze. Dave is kissing you. Holy mother of fuck. Out of all the ways you saw this going, you didn’t even consider this possibility.

It’s so weird. Kissing Dave feels familiar, but strange and wrong at the same time. Like deja vu or something. It’s _Dave_ , but it’s not _your_ Dave.

You break free from the shock and bring your hands up to his shoulders, pushing him off of you and backing away quickly.

Dave is staring at you questioningly, still leaned towards you, cheeks flushed ever-so-slightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Dave, I—” You have to stop to collect yourself, covering your mouth for a moment, feeling a little sick. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not? That’s totally the direction this was going in. Karkat’s made me suffer through enough romcoms to know that,” he says, getting even closer.

“No! That’s not where I was going with that!” you yelp fearfully, pushing him back further.

“Dude, you told me to talk to you in private and then we moved onto the topic of quadrants before we’d even really started. You’ve been nervous this whole time and you just admitted that you have flushed feelings for a guy. It seemed pretty damn obvious that you meant me,” he explains, not moving despite your gestures.

“Well, I’m sorry to say it, but I wasn’t going in that direction. I don’t like you like that, Dave,” you say, attempting to gauge his reaction.

He’s blank-faced for a moment, then accusative in a second, “Is it Karkat?”

“What? No!” you say, flustered.

“Captor, then? Maybe Makara? Is it a fucking salamander?”

“No! It’s none of those!” you shout.

“Then who? Those’re the only fucking guys that’re still ali—” He cuts himself off. “No. No, are you bullshitting me? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me right now. You like _Davesprite?”_

“I don’t just like him, Dave. We’ve been dating for a little over a year now,” you say seriously.

Dave shoots up and you admit you flinch back a bit. He’s mad as hell, pacing back in forth in front of you like a caged animal.

“John, why the everloving fuck are you with Davesprite?” he spits out. “He’s not even the real me. And you aren’t his John either. His John is dead, you’re _mine.”_

“No I’m not, Dave. I’m not _your_ John. Just because we’re from the same timeline doesn’t mean I belong to you. I’m in love with Davesprite,” you say heatedly, glaring a bit at him.

“Yeah I gathered that, but _why?_ Why him and not _me?”_

“Because I’ve been practically alone with him for three years? Because he told me everything that happened back in his timeline and that he came back and became a sprite and basically fucked himself over just to save my life? Because he actually opened up to me and _talked_ to me about his feelings and his past and everything? Because he was an orange feathery douchebag but he still somehow managed to steal my heart and I shouldn’t have to be yelled at for that?” you say incredulously.

“His John _died._ He _chose_ to come here and fuck himself over to save you, and I would’ve done the same goddamn thing, but that still doesn’t give him the right to take over and ruin what _we_ could’ve had,” Dave snarls.

“Everyone deserves happiness, Dave. You can’t just write Davesprite off like that. He’s been through a lot of shit and he needs me.” Your eyes soften lovingly. “He once saved my life, now I’m returning the favor.”

“What about when we win the game? He’s a game-construct, he can’t come with us to the new universe. What’re you gonna do then?”

“Then we’ll enjoy the time we have together. I love him, Dave, and you can’t change that. I’m sorry, but that’s the way things are,” you say firmly.

“This is bullshit,” Dave mutters.

“Well, maybe if you’d confessed to me earlier instead of waiting and hoping nothing would change at all in three years, things would’ve turned out differently,” you say with a bit of a glare.

You stare each other down for a while, then Dave practically whispers, “You said everyone deserves happiness. Well what about _me?”_

Your gaze soften with pity and you want to hug him, but you know that’ll only make things worse. “Look, I do love you Dave, just not in the way you want me to. You’re still my best friend, and I’d die if you stopped being that for even a second. I really hope that’s enough for you.”

He looks down and doesn’t answer. You sigh sadly and turn to leave, but Dave tackles you before you can even take one step. He locks his hands around your wrists and pins them to the floor, straddling your waist so you can’t move. You struggle and pull and push and wriggle, freaking yourself out so much that you can’t even turn into wind and you’re hyperventilating and about to cry. You can’t believe this is Dave, this isn’t your best friend, this isn’t your Knight.

“Dave, please!” you cry out, choking on a sob. He meets your eyes and freezes on the spot, looking surprised, like he has no idea what the fuck is happening.

“Dave, this isn’t you, this isn’t the guy I’ve pestered for years.” You harden your gaze, eyes still watering despite your resolve. “If you really love me, you’ll let me go.”

“…Fuck, fuck fuck shit,” Dave mutters to himself, letting your wrists go and moving off of you as fast as he can.

You rub your wrists gently, sitting up and holding your limbs close to your body. Dave is only a foot away, holding his head in his hands and cursing repeatedly.

“…Dave?” you prompt, still wary but feeling a lot more pity for him than you probably should.

“Fuck, John, I—” he sucks in a breath, “I’m so sorry, I have no idea why I just did that or what I’m even doing. I…I’m sorry.”

Your heart breaks a little at his despondent tone. You really want to stay and comfort him, but he hasn’t exactly been reassuring this whole time. Your wrists throb as if in warning.

“…I think you should go,” Dave says quietly.

You stand up slowly, walking out with several glances behind you until the metal door slides between you and your (former?) best friend. Your eyes tear up again, but you bite it down. If that’s what Dave wants, that’s what he’ll get. It’s up to him now, what happens to your relationship.

With that somewhat depressing thought, you fly to one of the spare rooms a few halls away from Dave’s and curl up on a bed there.

–ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG]–

EB: i just talked to dave.  
EB: it didn’t exactly end well.  
EB: can you come here? i kinda sorta really need you.  
EB: it’s the third room on the left side of the fifth hallway to the right of the transporter pad.  
TG: im on my way  
EB: this brand of Strider vitamins anyways,“ you purr, kissing him.

Several heated kisses later, you’re curled up in Davesprite’s arms, feeling warm and comfortable and safe.

"I love you, Dave,” you murmur, nuzzling his neck feathers.

“I love you too, John,” he says softly, gently kissing the top of your head.

As long as you’re in Davesprite’s arms, you think everything’s going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got completely carried away with this one, dear lord. Once again, thanks for the support this whole week! Happy JohnDaveing!

**Author's Note:**

> Not the shippiest drabble for the first day, but it'll do. Also I never noticed it before, but on the second panel of this part where Dave says "thats really all there is to say on the matter," his text is so much smaller and less bolded, like he was starting to completely lose it at that point. I feel so bad for him, god, someone help this poor boy! (Preferably John, with loving words and hugs and kisses, because we all love that Hurt/Comfort).


End file.
